Yet the New York Mets had other ideas and overtook the Cubs by storm along the way. Now to dig in and dispel the myth from reality and why this talented Cubs team collapsed along the way.
Myth: Reasons Players and “Experts” Cited for the Collapse
Many have their theories why the Cubs collapsed in 1969, let’s review the most popular ones.
- Worn down from the heat
- Leo Durocher ran his players into the ground
- Bullpen was used too much
- Bullpen was too old
- Bad luck
Cub fans and Major League Baseball fans, what do you think about these theories? Tune into the Baseball Classics podcast to find out why none of these myths are reality, the reasons they are debunked.
The Season Trends
The Cubs shot out of the gate opening the 1969 season winning 11 of their first 12 games, meanwhile the Mets were groggy winning only 9 of their first 23 games.
The first half of the season the Cubs won 61 while losing 37 for .622 winning percentage. The second half they slumped to 31 and 33. Meanwhile the Mets were consistent with a first half of 53 and 39 for a .576 winning percentage, following that up with a 47 and 23 record in the second half.
Because the Mets started to climb back into the race in August, many point to August through September records. The Cubs were 26-28 while the Mets were a red hot 44-17. However, the Cubs tail spin actually started July 1st. They were 42-43 from July through the end of the season while the Mets were 60-30.
From August 1st through the end of the season, most of the heart of the Cubs lineup slumped. Here’s batting averages as of August 1st/season ending batting averages.
Kessinger .296/.273
Beckert .298/.291
Williams .309/.293
Santo .310/.289
Banks .263/.253
Hundley .274/.255
This represents a collective 16 point drop in batting average.
The Cubs starters held up most very well, though Fergie Jenkins slipped a bit. Here’s ERA’s as of August 1st/season ending ERA’s.
Jenkins 2.88/3.21
Hands 2.68/2.49
Holtzman 3.45/3.58
Selma 3.26/3.63
The Cubs tail spin was taken to another level once September came along. They lost 11 of 12 from September 3rd through the 15th and when they were 3 1/2 games back at the time, lost 9 out of 14 from September 13th through the 27th.
Reality: Reasons for the 1969 Chicago Cubs Collapse
Upon further review, here are the facts supporting what was behind the break down.
- Incredible lack of depth
- Gaping hole in Centerfield
- Dick Selma for Joe Niekro trade
- Team psyche
- Adequate to subpar defense
Check out this Baseball Classics podcast for the supporting facts behind these 5 reasons why the 1969 Chicago Cubs collapsed.
Cubs fans love this 1969 team regardless of the big let down. Many fan favorites including “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams among others are still to this day cherished. Sure the Mets caught fire, though as stated here, the heart of the Cubs lineup faltered in many ways.
Tune into the podcast and let us know here if you agree or have your own theory why the 1969 Chicago Cubs at one time dominated their division, then fizzled out to wind up 8 games behind by the time the regular season was over.
Baseball Classics Resources Used For This Podcast